Duke Farms was impacted by Hurricane Sandy, however, not severely as our shore communities. We would like to share with you a unique partnership addressing the devastation through the restoration of critical shore habitat.

Greener NJ Productions shares: "Heroic Efforts & Truckloads of Sand"

April 29, 2013 Restoring Delaware Bayshore Beaches A miracle is taking place in the Delaware Bayshore in a race against time. A group of dedicated individuals and organizations have come together in a very short time to restore the beaches in the Delaware Bayshore for the arriving horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs use the beaches to spawn and lay their eggs. The eggs provide a food source for thousands of migrating shore birds such as the Red Knot on their way to the Arctic. Both the horseshoe crab and Red Knot populations have suffered a significant decline in recent years. The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, Greener New Jersey Productions and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network are co-producing a series of videos and a half-hour program documenting the amazing restoration work taking place on the Delaware Bayshore. Watch the Videos Some of the first short videos can be seen here. The documentary will be completed toward the end of the summer for the fall for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. Stay with us as this dramatic restoration unfolds. Environmental journalist Ed Rodgers, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, is producing the short videos and a half-hour documentary on the restoration work. Videographer Frank Foley is behind the camera. Heroic Efforts, Extraordinary People & Truckloads of Sand To truly understand the sensitivity and timeliness of this project, read the blog posted on the Geraldine R Dodge Foundation website on April 15, 2013. Shorebird Migration Threatened by Superstorm Sandy Unique partnership battles against time to restore critical beach habitats By Michael Catania, Executive Director, Duke Farms Foundation, and Chair, Greener NJ Productions Board of Trustees As Michael Catania blogs, " . . . a number of stalwart organizations and individuals have launched an unprecedented rescue effort, which is currently underway to come to the aid of these species. "This amazing public/private partnership includes local public works agencies, state and federal wildlife agencies, multiple nonprofit conservation organizations, academic institutions and concerned individuals, who have all joined forces to restore several miles of these beaches in time for the return of the horseshoe crabs and shorebirds this spring." The Funders This project is funded by major grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the NJ Recovery Fund (a consortium of private foundations administered by the Community Foundation of NJ), as well as additional funding from the NJ Natural Lands Trust and the NJ Corporate Wetlands Partnership. The Project In addition to removing rubble and restoring the beaches, the project includes hiring of seasonal docents to help manage traffic and provide educational outreach to visitors to these beaches; the creation of an artificial oyster reef to help protect the restored beaches and create jobs for local baymen; a documentary of the project; and an innovative outreach program to encourage understanding of the economic value of preserving these species. The Organizations The American Littoral Society, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation, the NJ Natural Lands Trust, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife, the NJ Endangered and Non-Game Species Program, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Middle Township, Richard Stockton College, the NJ Audubon Society, Greener New Jersey Productions, Delaware Riverkeeper Network and the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.